Jung So Min awakened with the morning sun, but remained in bed, wondering if the events of the night before had been a fanciful dream. She felt she’d been in a dream from the moment she’d stepped off the plane in Dongyi and saw her brother-in-law, Lee Min Ho, waiting for her.

It had been four years since Jung So Min’s sister, Min Ho’s wife LeAnn, had died in a tragic bank robbery gone wrong. After the funeral, Jung So Min and Lee Min Ho had lost track of each other. They’d made contact again when Min Ho had invited So Min to his and Hye Sun’s wedding, but So Min had been unable to attend. Then Min Ho had learned about her mother’s death and convinced her she needed a break and invited her to Dongyi for the anniversary celebration of the coronation of Hye Sun’s father, King Munmu.

Jung So Min spied the flower on her nightstand, the same flower Kim Hyun Joong had tucked behind her ear to proclaim their engagement. Her heart stepped up its rhythm as she thought of the handsome prince. A prince had made her his fiancée. It would be like a romantic dream, if she loved Hyun Joong? If he loved her.

A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. "Come in," she called.

"Good morning," Princess Koo Hye Sun said as she entered.

Jung So Min smiled at the princess. In the brief time she’d been in Dongyi, she’d developed a friendship with Hye Sun. "I’m not sure if it’s a good morning or not."

Hye Sun sat on the edge of the bed. "It was an exciting evening, that’s for sure."

Jung So Min sat up. "I was just lying here wondering if it was all a dream. Yesterday I was an unemployed schoolteacher taking a trip outside the United States. Today I’m betrothed to a prince I don’t even know." She looked at Hye Sun desperately. "How do I get out of this? I don’t want to do anything that might cause an international incident!"

Hye Sun laughed, then sobered and gazed at Jung So Min thoughtfully. "If I were you, I’d go along with the engagement for several days, but tell Kim Hyun Joong of your intention not to marry him. It’s important that it appears he’s the one who changes his mind. He’ll want to save face with the public."

Jung So Min nodded, trusting that Hye Sun knew best how to handle issues concerning royalty.

Hye Sun stood, a worried frown etched into her forehead. "Just don’t let him hurt you. Kim Hyun Joong is quite a charmer, but I don’t think his heart has ever been touched. Be careful with your own heart."

Jung So Min smiled. "Don’t worry about me. I’m not about to be taken in by what he’s offering." She looked at the flower on the nightstand, then back to Hye Sun. "I’m glad Min Ho found you. I’m so glad he found happiness."

"I’m the one who is happy." Hye Sun’s face positively glowed. "Min Ho is my heart, my love, my very soul mate."

And that’s exactly what So Min wanted for herself. Love. And that was the one thing Prince Hyun Joong wasn’t offering.

To be continued?